Brussels Council for Multilingualism

There was a time when one might have believed that the population of Brussels consisted of French- and Dutch-speakers living side by side. Those days are irrevocably gone. The 1,250,000 inhabitants of the Brussels region speak hundreds of languages, and an ever-increasing proportion of them speak neither French nor Dutch.

This radically transformed linguistic situation gives rise to numerous challenges. They must be identified without taboos and addressed without naivety. How can one effectively inform the residents of today’s Brussels and its many visitors, and ensure they have fair access to public services? How can we honour and harness the diversity of languages spoken by the people of Brussels whilst accelerating the learning of the languages they most need to know?

It is to these questions that the Brussels Council aims to help the Region find answers, by formulating well-documented recommendations and by taking initiatives, such as Brussels Multilingualism Week.

It is only thanks to the multilingualism of every Brusseler that Brussels can hope to achieve social cohesion worthy of the name. And only this multilingualism can turn Brussels' incredible linguistic diversity into a fabulous source of economic dynamism and cultural enjoyment.